Garment-supporter.



No. 644,456. I Patented Feb. 27, I900. J. H. PILKINGTON.

GARMENT SUPPOBTER. (Application filed. Sept. 20, 1899.)

WITNESSES INVENTOR THE Nmzmswms co, Puoro umo warms-rd". n. c.,

UNTTED STATES PATENT Trace.

JOSEPH II. PILKINGTON, OF WVATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

GARMENT-SUPPORTER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 644,456, dated February 27, 1900.

Application filed September 20, 1899. Serial No. 731,044. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it kn own that I, JOSEPH H. PILKINGTON,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Waterbury, county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Garment-Supporter, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the class of garment-supporters in which a fold of the stocking or other garment upon which it is used is placed over a stud and is retained there by a metallic loop having an opening through which the stud passes freely and below said opening a slot into which the neck of the stud covered by the fold of garment is drawn in use, the head of the stud and a portion of the fold of garment carried thereby lying above the slot; and my invention has for its object to so improve the construction of the supporter as to make it self-adjusting to different thicknesses of hose or other fabric, a thin stocking or other fabric being held firmly and without tearing, while at the same time the device is equally adapted to. receive and hold a thicker and heavier stocking or other garment.

With these ends in view I have devised the simple and novel garment-supporter which I will now describe, referring by reference characters to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of my novel supporter, the loop being detached from the stud; Fig. 2, a back view thereof; Fig. 3, a section on the line 3 3 in Fig. 1; Fig. at, a view of the spring, as in Fig. 3, detached; Fig. 5, a plan view of a base and stud differing slightly in details of construction from the other form; Fig. 6, a back view corresponding with Fig. 5; Fig. 7, a section on the line 7 7 in Fig. 5; Fig. 8, a view of the spring, as in Fig. 7, detached; Fig. 9, a section on the line 9 9 in Figs. 5 and 10; and Fig. 10 is a sectional view, substantially similar to Figs. 3 and 7, illustrating the use of a metallic instead of a rubber spring.

A denotes the loop of my novel supporter; B, the base; C, an outwardly-tapering stud which extends from the base, and E a spring, also carried by the base. The tapering stud and the spring E are important features, although their special construction and arrangement are not of the essence of my invention. For example, the stud may be solid, if preferred, although I preferably form the studs to substantially funnel shape from sheet metal in the same manner that eyelets are formed. In Figs. 1 and 3Ihave shown studs of this character left open at the top, and in Figs. 5, 7, 9, and 10 I have shown simi- 6o lar studs provided with a rounded cap-piece 18. The spring E may be a piece of rub ber cut from a block or strip, as in Figs. 1, 3, and 4, or a similarly-shaped piece of felt, or it may be molded from rubber and provided with engaging projections 19, as in Figs. 5, 7, and S, or it may be a metallic spring formed to suitable shape, as in Figs 9 and 10. The base is blanked out from sheet metal to substantially the form shown and may be provided with slots 20 to receive a strip of textile material, which I have indicated by D, in the usual manner. The central portion of the base is preferably raised, so as to form a recess 21 in the under side thereof, and the raised portion is provided with slots 22,

through which the ends of the spring pass,the central portion of the spring lying on the under side of the base in the recess. The lower end of stud C passes through corresponding openings 23 in the base, the spring, and in a locking-plate 24, which lies in the recess, the outer end of the stud being headed over on the outer side of the locking-plate, as at 28,

so as to retain the parts securely in place. In practice the lower end of the stud is slightly reduced, leaving a shoulder 29, which rests upon the base, so that the base, spring, and locking-plate are clamped tightly between the shoulder and the heading. The loop A may be of any ordinary or preferred construction and is provided with the usual slot 25 to receive the textile material, with an opening 26, through which the head of the stud and a fold of the stocking or other garment upon which the supporter is used pass, and with a slot 27, into which the shank of the stud and the textile material by which it is covered are drawn to secure the supporter in place. The spring,whether made of rubber,felt, or metal, yields sufficiently in use to make the sup* porter self-adj usting to different fabrics. By

raising the center of the base so as to form a recess in the under side for the locking-plate the latter is placed wholly out of the wayand any projection on the back of the base is avoided.

The operation is the sa me as with othersupporters of this class. Vhen used as astooking-supporter, the base and the stud are placed under the stocking so that a fold thereof will lie over the stud. Then the stud, with the fold of stocking thereon, is passed through the opening in the loop and the latter is drawn upward, so that the stud and the fold of textile material will pass into the slot below the opening. The action of the spring is to hold the supporter in the locking position by frietion upon the stocking or other garment upon which the supporter is used and by clamping a ply of the stocking or other garment between the spring and the loop and another ply between the loop and the stud, so that while the loop may be moved up or down freely enough for convenience in use all danger of the stocking or other garment slipping shall be eliminated, but without the slightest danger of tearing the garment.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a garmerit-supporter the combination with a loop having an opening 26 and slot 27, of a base, an outwardly-tapering stud extending therefrom and a spring also carried by the base so that a ply of the garment will be held between the spring and the loop and another ply between the loop' and the tapering stud.

2. In a garment-supporter a base having an outwardly tapering stud extending therefrom and carrying a spring which is adapted- 

